Joint structure and wind power generation device

ABSTRACT

A joint structure includes a clutch unit interposed between a shaft joint and a shaft body which is one of an output shaft of a speed increaser and an input shaft of a power generator. The clutch unit includes: a shaft coupling portion rotating integrally with the shaft body; a joint coupling portion rotating integrally with the shaft joint; and a one-way clutch provided between the shaft coupling portion and the joint coupling portion. The one-way clutch makes a connection integrally rotatably between the shaft coupling portion and the joint coupling portion in a state in which a rotation speed of the output shaft is higher than that of the input shaft, and releases the connection between the shaft coupling portion and the joint coupling portion in a state in which the rotation speed of the output shaft is lower than that of the input shaft.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This is a Division of application Ser. No. 14/913,481 filed Feb. 22,2016, which in turn is a U.S. National Stage of PCT Application No.PCT/JP2014/072572, filed Aug. 28, 2014, which claims priority toJapanese Patent Application Nos. 2013-178228, filed Aug. 29, 2013, and2013-220888, filed Oct. 24, 2014. The disclosure of the priorapplications is hereby incorporated by reference herein in its entirety.

TECHNICAL FIELD

An aspect of the present invention relates to a joint structure used fora wind power generation device, and the wind power generation device.

BACKGROUND ART

As a wind power generation device, there is known a device provided witha power generator having a blade that rotates by receiving wind power, amain shaft connected to the blade, a speed increaser that increases therotation speed of the main shaft and an input shaft coupled to theoutput shaft of the speed increaser. In this wind power generationdevice, the blade receives wind power to rotate the main shaft, and thespeed of the rotation of the main shaft is increased by the speedincreaser to drive the power generator, whereby power generation isperformed.

In this wind power generation device, typically, as shown in FIG. 21, anoutput shaft 111 of a speed increaser 110 and an input shaft 113 of apower generator 114 are connected by a shaft joint 112.

Moreover, since a misalignment such as decentering or angle deviationsometimes occur between the output shaft 111 and the input shaft 113 inthe assembly of the wind power generation device, a flexible shaft jointis provided between the shafts 111 and 113 in some devices (for example,see Patent Document 1).

In the speed increaser of the wind power generation device, a rollerbearing that rotatably supports the output shaft rotating at high speedis provided, and the roller bearing has a problem in that the life isshortened by smearing phenomenon in which surface seizure occurs)occurring on the rolling surface of the roller and the raceway surfacesof the rotating rings such as the inner ring and the outer ring.Accordingly, the applicant of the present application made earnestresearches on the occurrence mechanism of the smearing, found thatprovision of a one-way clutch between the output shaft of the speedincreaser and the input shaft of the power generator is effective insuppressing the occurrence of the smearing, and has already proposed aninvention related thereto (see Patent Document 2).

RELATED ART DOCUMENTS Patent Documents

Patent Document 1: JP-A-2006-250034

Patent Document 2: JP-A-2013-76395

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION Problem to be Solved by the Invention

Further, the applicant of the present application has proposed a shaftjoint device capable of absorbing a misalignment as described aboveoccurring between the output shaft of the speed increaser and the inputshaft of the power generator and capable of suppressing the occurrenceof the smearing (Japanese Patent Application No. 2013-048573). Thispatent application had not been published as of the priority dates ofthe present application, Aug. 29, 2013 and Oct. 24, 2013. Hereinafter,this shaft joint device will be referred to as proposed joint.

Accordingly, a wind power generation device is considered that adoptsthe proposed joint instead of the shaft joint 112 shown in FIG. 21.However, in some kinds of wind power generation devices, the axiallength (design length) of the shaft joint 112 is short and the proposedjoint cannot be incorporated instead of the shaft joint 112. In thiscase, it is difficult to obtain a structure as described above forsuppressing the occurrence of the smearing. In particular, when theshaft joint 112 is changed to the proposed joint in an existing windpower generation device provided with the shaft joint 112 shown in FIG.21, the change is impossible if the axial length (design length) of theshaft joint 112 is short.

Accordingly, an object of an aspect of the present invention is toprovide new technical means that makes it possible to suppress theoccurrence of the smearing as described above even in a wind powergeneration device in which the proposed joint cannot be incorporatedinstead of the shaft joint connecting the output shaft of the speedincreaser and the input shaft of the power generator.

Means for Solving the Problem

(1) A first aspect of the present invention includes a joint structureused for a wind power generation device which generates power byrotating an input shaft of a power generator by a torque from an outputshaft of a speed increaser, the joint structure including: a clutch unitinterposed between: a shaft joint which is provided between the outputshaft and the input shaft and which allows the torque to be transmittedbetween the output shaft and the input shaft; and a shaft body which isone of the output shaft and the input shaft, wherein the clutch unitincludes: a shaft coupling portion which rotates integrally with theshaft body; a joint coupling portion which rotates integrally with theshaft joint; and a one-way clutch provided between the shaft couplingportion and the joint coupling portion, and wherein the one-way clutchmakes a connection integrally rotatably between the shaft couplingportion and the joint coupling portion in a state in which a rotationspeed of the output shaft is higher than a rotation speed of the inputshaft, and releases the connection between the shaft coupling portionand the joint coupling portion in a state in which the rotation speed ofthe output shaft is lower than the rotation speed of the input shaft.

According to the first aspect of the present invention, since the clutchunit including the one-way clutch for suppressing the occurrence of thesmearing is interposed between the output shaft of the speed increaserand the shaft joint or between the shaft joint and the input shaft ofthe power generator, a joint structure is obtained in which even ifthere is no space enough to provide the one-way clutch in the area ofthe shaft joint, the occurrence of the smearing as described above canbe suppressed.

(2) Preferably, the shaft coupling portion is formed of a memberseparate from the shaft body and coupled to the shaft body, and thejoint coupling portion is formed of a member separate from the shaftjoint and coupled to the shaft joint.

In this case, the joint structure can be incorporated while the existingshaft joint of the existing wind power generation device is retained asit is.

(3) Preferably, the shaft coupling portion of the above (2) includes acoupling shaft portion which is coupled to the shaft body, a holeextending in an axial direction is formed on an end portion of one ofthe coupling shaft portion and the shaft body, and an insertion shaftportion inserted in the hole and incapable of relatively rotating butcapable of moving in the axial direction with respect to the hole isformed on an end portion of the other of the coupling shaft portion andthe shaft body.

In this case, a structure is obtained in which even if the axial lengthis changed by thermal expansion and contraction in the part from theoutput shaft to the input shaft, the change can be absorbed by therelationship between the insertion shaft portion and the hole and thetorque can be transmitted from the output shaft to the input shaft.

(4) Preferably, the hole of the above (3) is a spline hole, and theinsertion shaft portion is a spline shaft. With this, the structure ofthe above (3) can be obtained.

(5) Moreover, in the joint structure, preferably, one of the shaftcoupling portion and the joint coupling portion is formed of ashaft-shaped member, the other of the shaft coupling portion and thejoint coupling portion is formed of a tubular member situated radiallyoutside the shaft-shaped member, the one-way clutch is interposedbetween the shaft coupling portion and the joint coupling portion andincludes an engagement element which is capable of making an engagementwith the shaft coupling portion and the joint coupling portion in astate in which the rotation speed of the output shaft is higher than therotation speed of the input shaft and which releases the engagement in astate in which the rotation speed of the output shaft is lower than therotation speed of the input shaft, and the clutch unit further includesa rolling bearing interposed between the shaft coupling portion and thejoint coupling portion.

In this case, by the engagement element engages the shaft couplingportion and the joint coupling portion, the shaft coupling portion andthe joint coupling portion can be integrally rotatably connected, and byreleasing the engagement, the connection is also released. Even when theengagement of the engagement element is released, the shaft couplingportion and the joint coupling portion can be concentrically supportedby the rolling bearing.

(6) Moreover, in the joint structure of the above (2), preferably, amale screw is formed on an end portion of the shaft body, a femalescrew, which is screwed with the male screw such that rotation of thefemale screw is locked in a tightening direction in a state in whichtightening with the male screw is completed, is formed on the shaftcoupling portion, and the tightening direction is set to a samedirection as a rotation direction of the output shaft and the inputshaft at a time of power generation by the power generator. With thisstructure, the coupling between the shaft body and the shaft couplingportion is easily performed.

(7) Moreover, in the joint structure of the above (6), preferably, oneof the shaft coupling portion and the joint coupling portion is formedof a tubular member, the other of the shaft coupling portion and thejoint coupling portion is formed of a shaft-shaped member situatedradially inside the tubular member, and the clutch unit further includesa support portion which supports the shaft coupling portion and thejoint coupling portion such that the shaft coupling portion and thejoint coupling portion are relatively movable in an axial direction andrelatively rotatable.

In this case, even if the axial length is changed by thermal expansionand contraction in the part from the output shaft to the input shaft,the change can be absorbed by the structure of the shaft couplingportion and the joint coupling portion, and the support portion.

(8) Moreover, in the joint structure of the above (7), preferably, thesupport portion includes: a plurality of balls interposed between theshaft coupling portion and the joint coupling portion; and a cage whichholds the balls at intervals in a circumferential direction. With thisstructure, the support portion can be realized with a simple structure.

(9) Moreover, in the joint structure of the above (1), preferably, theclutch unit further includes: a support member fixed to a fixed objectof the wind power generation device; and a rolling bearing which isprovided between the support member and the joint coupling portion andwhich supports the joint coupling portion rotatably with respect to thesupport member.

In this case, the joint coupling portion can be rotatably attached tothe fixed object of the wind power generation device through the supportmember and the rolling bearing. For this reason, the load due to thegravity (weight) of the shaft joint acting through the joint couplingportion, the gravity (weight) of the one-way clutch provided between thejoint coupling portion and the shaft coupling portion and the gravity(weight) of the joint coupling portion itself is transmitted to thefixed object and the fixed object can support this load.

(10) Moreover, in the joint structure of the above (9), preferably, thejoint coupling portion includes: a rotational flange portion coupled tothe shaft joint; and a rotational cylindrical portion which rotatesintegrally with the rotational flange portion and in which the one-wayclutch is provided on an inner periphery side of the rotationalcylindrical portion, the support member includes: a fixed flange portioncoupled to the fixed object; and a fixed cylindrical portion which isintegral with the fixed flange portion, which is concentric with therotational cylindrical portion and which is situated radially outsidethe rotational cylindrical portion, and the rolling bearing is providedbetween an inner peripheral surface of the fixed cylindrical portion andan outer peripheral surface of the rotational cylindrical portion.

In this case, the resultant structure is such that the one-way clutch isprovided on the inner periphery side of the rotational cylindricalportion of the joint coupling portion and the rolling bearing isprovided on the outer periphery side of the rotational cylindricalportion. That is, the arrangement is such that the one-way clutch andthe rolling bearing are aligned in the radial direction, so that theaxial dimension of the joint structure can be reduced.

(11) Moreover, in the joint structure of the above (10), a raceway ofthe rolling element of the rolling bearing is provided on the innerperipheral surface of the fixed cylindrical portion, and the fixedcylindrical portion also serves as an outer ring of the rolling bearing,whereby the number of parts can be reduced, and the reduction in thenumber of parts facilitates assembly.

(12) Moreover, in the joint structure of the above (10) or (11), araceway of the rolling element of the rolling bearing is provided on theouter peripheral surface of the rotational cylindrical portion, and therotational cylindrical portion also serves as an inner ring of therolling bearing, whereby the number of parts can be reduced, and thereduction in the number of parts facilitates assembly,

(13) Moreover, in the joint structure of the above (9) to (12), thefixed object is a housing of the speed increaser, and the clutch unit isinterposed between the shaft joint and the output shaft.

In this case, the load due to the gravities (weights) of the constituentmembers of the clutch unit and the like is transmitted to the housing ofthe speed increaser and the housing of the speed increaser can supportthis load. The housing of the speed increaser is placed, for example, onthe floor where the wind power generation device is provided, and issupported by this floor.

(14) Moreover, in the joint structure of the above (9) to (12), thefixed object is a housing of the power generator, and the clutch unit isinterposed between the shaft joint and the input shaft.

In this case, the load due to the gravities (weights) of the constituentmembers of the clutch unit and the like is transmitted to the housing ofthe power generator and the housing of the power generator can supportthis load. The housing of the power generator is placed, for example, onthe floor where the wind power generation device is provided, and issupported by this floor.

(15) Moreover, a second aspect of the present invention includes a windpower generation device including: a main shaft which rotates by windpower; a speed increaser which increases a speed of a rotation of themain shaft, and which outputs the rotation from an output shaft; a powergenerator which includes an input shaft which rotates with the rotationof the output shaft as an input, and which generates power by a rotationof a rotor which rotates integrally with a rotation of the input shaft;a shaft joint which is provided between the output shaft and the inputshaft, and which allows a torque to be transmitted between the outputshaft and the input shaft; and the joint structure of any one of theabove (1) to (14) interposed between the shaft joint and a shaft bodywhich is one of the output shaft and the input shaft.

Advantages of the Invention

According to the aspects of the present invention, a joint structure canbe obtained in which even if there is no space enough to provide theone-way clutch in the area of the shaft joint, the occurrence of thesmearing can be suppressed on the rolling bearing.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a schematic side view of a wind power generation deviceprovided with a joint structure according to an embodiment of thepresent invention.

FIG. 2 is a schematic side view showing a speed increaser and a powergenerator.

FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view showing a roller bearing of the speedincreaser.

FIG. 4 is a longitudinal cross-sectional view showing a shaft joint, aclutch unit and surroundings thereof.

FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view taken on the arrow A in FIG. 4.

FIG. 6 is a perspective view showing a cage of a one-way clutch.

FIG. 7 is a cross-sectional view showing an enlargement of a relevantpart of the one-way clutch.

FIGS. 8(a) and 8(b) are explanatory views explaining the action of theone-way clutch.

FIG. 9 is a graph explaining the relationship between a load torque anda transmission torque.

FIG. 10 is a cross-sectional view of the one-way clutch provided with atorque limiter.

FIG. 11 is a cross-sectional view of the one-way clutch provided withthe torque limiter.

FIG. 12 is a longitudinal cross-sectional view showing a shaft joint, aclutch unit and surroundings thereof.

FIG. 13 is a transverse cross-sectional view showing part of the clutchunit.

FIG. 14 is a schematic side view showing a speed increaser and a powergenerator.

FIG. 15 is a schematic side view showing a modification of the windpower generation device.

FIG. 16 is a longitudinal cross-sectional view showing a shaft joint, aclutch unit and surroundings thereof.

FIG. 17 is a longitudinal cross-sectional view showing a modification ofthe clutch unit shown in FIG. 16.

FIG. 18 is a schematic side view showing a modification of the windpower generation device.

FIGS. 19(A) to 19(D) are explanatory views explaining an assembly methodof the clutch unit.

FIGS. 20(A) to 20(D) are explanatory views explaining the assemblymethod of the clutch unit.

FIG. 21 is an explanatory view explaining the schematic structure of thewind power generation device of the background art.

MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION

Hereinafter, an embodiment of the present invention will be describedwith reference to the attached drawings.

[General Structure]

FIG. 1 is a schematic side view of a wind power generation device 1provided with a joint structure according to the embodiment of thepresent invention. The wind power generation device 1 has a structure inwhich an input shaft 41 of a power generator 4 is rotated by the torquefrom an output shaft 35 of a speed increaser 3 to thereby generatepower, and the joint structure according to the embodiment of thepresent invention is used for this wind power generation device 1.

Further describing this structure, the wind power generation device 1 isprovided with a blade (wind receiving member) 11, a strut 12 and anacelle 13. The blade 11 is formed of a plurality of blades provided atan end of a main shaft 2, and rotates the main shaft 2 by receivingwind. The nacelle 13 is provided with the main shaft 2, a supportmechanism 15 for supporting the main shaft 2, the speed increaser 3 thatincreases the rotation speed of the main shaft 2, the power generator 4that generates power by the rotation power increased in speed by thespeed increaser 3, a casing 18 accommodating these, and the like. Thestrut 12 supports the nacelle 13 in such a manner that it can rotatehorizontally about the shaft center in the vertical direction.

FIG. 2 is a schematic side view showing the speed increaser 3 and thepower generator 4. The power generator 4 is formed of, for example, aninduction power generator, and has the input shaft 41 that rotates byreceiving the rotation increased in speed by the speed increaser 3, arotor 42 incorporated in the power generator 4, a non-illustratedstator, and the like. The rotor 42 is coupled to the input shaft 41 insuch a manner that it is rotatable integrally therewith, and the powergenerator 4 generates power as the input shaft 41 rotates to drive therotor 42. Moreover, the input shaft 41 is provided with a brake 44 forbraking the input shaft 41.

The speed increaser 3 is provided with a gear mechanism (rotationtransmission mechanism) 30 that receives the rotation of the main shaft2 and increases it in speed. The gear mechanism 30 is provided with aplanet gear mechanism 31 and a high-speed stepped gear mechanism 32 thatreceives the rotation increased in speed by the planet gear mechanism 31and further increases the speed of the rotation.

The planet gear mechanism 31 has an internal gear (ring gear) 31 a, aplurality of planet gears 31 b held by a planet carrier (not shown)coupled to the main shaft 2 in such a manner that it is rotatableintegrally therewith, and a sun gear 31 c meshing with the planet gears31 b. Thereby, when the planet carrier rotates together with the mainshaft 2, the sun gear 31 c rotates through the planet gears 31 b, andthe rotation is transmitted to a low-speed shaft 33 of the high-speedstepped gear mechanism 32.

The high-speed stepped gear mechanism 32 is provided with the low-speedshaft 33 having a low-speed gear 33 a, an intermediate shaft 34 having afirst intermediate gear 34 a and a second intermediate gear 34 b, andthe output shaft 35 having a high-speed gear 35 a.

The low-speed shaft 33 is formed of a large-size rotation shaft thediameter of which is, for example, approximately 1 m, and is disposedconcentrically with the main shaft 2. Both end portions of the low-speedshaft 33 in the axial direction are rotatably supported by rollingbearings 36 a and 36 b.

The intermediate shaft 34 is disposed parallel to the low-speed shaft33, and both end portions thereof in the axial direction are rotatablysupported by rolling bearings 37 a and 37 b. The first intermediate gear34 a of the intermediate shaft 34 meshes with the low-speed gear 33 a,and the second intermediate gear 34 b meshes with the high-speed gear 35a.

The output shaft 35 is disposed parallel to the intermediate shaft 34,and outputs a running torque. The sides of one end portion 35 b and theother end portion (output end portion) 35 c of the output shaft 35 inthe axial direction are rotatably supported by roller bearings 38 and39, respectively.

By the above structure, the rotation of the main shaft 2 is increased inspeed in three steps by the gear ratio of the planet gear mechanism 31,the gear ratio between the low-speed gear 33 a and the firstintermediate gear 34 a and the gear ratio between the secondintermediate gear 34 b and the high-speed gear 35 a, and is outputted asa rotation from the output end portion 35 c of the output shaft 35. Thatis, the rotation of the main shaft 2 by wind power is increased in speedin three steps by the speed increaser 3, is outputted from the outputshaft 35, and drives the power generator 4 by the running torque of theoutput shaft 35.

[Roller Bearing 38]

FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view showing the roller bearing 38 of thespeed increaser 3. The roller bearing 38 is formed of a cylindricalroller bearing, and is provided with an inner ring 38 a externallyfitted and fixed onto the output shaft 35, an outer ring 38 b fixed to ahousing 14 of the speed increaser 3, a plurality of cylindrical rollers38 c disposed between the inner ring 38 a and the outer ring 38 b insuch a manner that it is rollable, and a ring-shaped cage 38 d holdingthe cylindrical rollers 38 c at predetermined intervals in thecircumferential direction. The inner ring 38 a, the outer ring 38 b andthe cylindrical rollers 38 c are made of, for example, bearing steel,and the cage 38 d is made of, for example, a copper alloy.

The inner ring 38 a has an inner ring raceway surface 38 a 1 formed in acentral part of its outer periphery in the axial direction. The outerring 38 b is disposed concentrically with the inner ring 38 a, and hasan outer ring raceway surface 38 b 1 formed in a central part of itsinner periphery in the axial direction. The outer ring raceway surface38 b 1 is disposed in such a manner that it faces the inner ring racewaysurface 38 a 1. Moreover, the outer ring 38 b has a pair of outer ringrib portions 38 b 2 formed on both sides in the axial direction. Theouter ring rib portions 38 b 2 are so formed as to protrude from bothend portions of the inner periphery of the outer ring 38 b in the axialdirection toward the inside in the radial direction, and the endsurfaces of the cylindrical rollers 38 c are in sliding contact with theouter ring rib portions 38 b 2.

The cylindrical rollers 38 c are rollably disposed between the innerring raceway surface 38 a 1 and the outer ring raceway surface 38 b 1.

The cage 38 d has a pair of annular portions 38 d 1 disposed in such amanner that they are separated in the axial direction and a plurality ofstrut portions 38 d 2 spaced uniformly in the circumferential directionof the annular portions 38 d 1 and coupling the annular portions 38 d 1together. Between the pair of annular portions 38 d 1 and the adjoiningstrut portions 38 d 2, pockets 38 d 3 are formed, respectively, and inthe pockets 38 d 3, the cylindrical rollers 38 c are disposed,respectively. In the large-size wind power generation device 1, since ahigh load is applied to the rolling bearing supporting the output shaft35 of the speed increaser 3, it is preferable to use the roller bearing38 that is high in rigidity and capable of suitably absorbing the axialexpansion and contraction of the output shaft 35 due to heat. Here, asthe rolling bearing, a ball bearing or a tapered roller bearing may beused.

[Shaft Joint 9 and Clutch Unit 20]

In FIG. 2, the wind power generation device 1 is provided with a shaftjoint 9 provided between the output shaft 35 of the speed increaser 3and the input shaft 41 of the power generator 4 and for enabling thetorque to be transmitted between the output shaft 35 and the input shaft41. In the present embodiment, a clutch unit 20 is interposed betweenthe shaft joint 9 and the output shaft 35. The clutch unit 20 isprovided on the speed increaser 3 side of the brake 44 for the inputshaft 41.

FIG. 4 is a longitudinal cross-sectional view showing the shaft joint 9,the clutch unit 20 and surroundings thereof. The shaft joint 9 is amember provided in an area between the output shaft 35 and the inputshaft 41 and enabling the torque to be transmitted between the outputshaft 35 and the input shaft 41. The shaft joint 9 has a shaft mainportion 9 a and flange portions 9 b and 9 c fixed to both end portionsof the shaft main portion 9 a. To the flange portion 9 c, a flangeportion 41 a fixed to the end portion of the input shaft 41 is coupledand fixed by a bolt/nut 29 a The shaft joint 9 functions as a torquetransmission shaft for transmitting the running torque inputted from theside of the output shaft 35 to the side of the input shaft 41.

In FIG. 4, the clutch unit 20 has a shaft coupling portion 21 rotatingintegrally with the output shaft 35, a joint coupling portion 22rotating integrally with the shaft joint 9 and a one-way clutch 7provided between the shaft coupling portion 21 and the joint couplingportion 22. Further, the clutch unit 20 has a rolling bearing 8interposed between the shaft coupling portion 21 and the joint couplingportion 22.

In the present embodiment, the shaft coupling portion 21 is formed of ashaft-shaped member separate from the output shaft 35 and coupled to theoutput shaft 35, and the joint coupling portion 22 is formed of a memberseparate from the shaft joint 9 and coupled to the shaft joint 9.

The shaft coupling portion 21 has a shaft main portion 21 a an outerperipheral surface 21 a 1 of which is formed of a cylindrical surfaceand a coupling shaft portion 21 b for coupling to the output shaft 35.On the contrary, a hole 35 d extending in the axial direction is formedon the end portion of the output shaft 35. An insertion shaft portion 21c inserted in the hole 35 d is formed on the end portion of the couplingshaft portion 21 b. The hole 35 d is formed of a spline hole, and theinsertion shaft portion 21 c is a spline shaft. For this reason, theshaft coupling portion 21 (the insertion shaft portion 21 c) which ismovable in the axial direction with respect to the output shaft 35 (thehole 35 d) is not rotatable relatively.

Since the shaft coupling portion 21 which is movable in the axialdirection with respect to the output shaft 35 is not rotatablerelatively as described above, a structure is obtained in which even ifthe axial length is changed by thermal expansion and contraction due toa temperature rise or a temperature fall in the part from the outputshaft 35 by way of the shaft joint 9 to the input shaft 41, the changecan be absorbed by the relationship between the insertion shaft portion21 c and the hole 35 d and the torque can be transmitted from the outputshaft 35 by way of the shaft joint 9 to the input shaft 41.

The members where the hole 35 d and the insertion shaft portion 21 c areprovided may be opposite. That is, although not shown, a structure maybe adopted in which the spline hole is formed on the shaft couplingportion 21 and the spline shaft is formed on the output shaft 35.

While the shaft coupling portion 21 is formed of a shaft-shaped member,the joint coupling portion 22 is formed of a cylindrical member situatedradially outside the shaft-shaped member. The joint coupling portion 22has a flange portion 22 a. By this flange portion 22 a, the jointcoupling portion 22 is coupled and fixed to the flange portion 9 b ofthe shaft joint 9 by a bolt/nut 29 b with a later-described spacer (aflexible member 23) in between. Moreover, by this bolt/nut 29 b, thejoint coupling portion 22 is detachably attachable to the shaft joint 9.Moreover; by this detachably attachable structure, the shaft couplingportion 21 is also detachably attachable to the output shaft 35. Inorder that the joint coupling portion 22 is detachably attachable to theshaft joint 9, an axial space S1 is provided between the joint couplingportion 22 (the one-way clutch 7 attached to the inner periphery side ofthe joint coupling portion 22) and the output shaft 35. Moreover, inorder that the shaft coupling portion 21 is detachably attachable to theoutput shaft 35, an axial space S2 is provided between the shaftcoupling portion 21 and the shaft joint 9. In the space S1, although notshown, a filler formed of an elastic member may be provided.

The one-way clutch 7 is provided in areas facing each other in theradial direction and overlapping each other between the shaft mainportion 21 a of the shaft coupling portion 21 and a cylindrical mainportion 22 b of the joint coupling portion 22. Moreover, the rollingbearing 8 is provided only on one side of the one-way clutch 7 in theaxial direction (the side of the shaft joint 9) between the shaft mainportion 21 a and the cylindrical main portion 22 b.

The one-way clutch 7 is provided in order that the rotation of theoutput shaft 35 can be transmitted to the input shaft 41 through theshaft coupling portion 21 and the joint coupling portion 22. Thefunction of the one-way clutch 7 will be described later. The rollingbearing 8 is provided in order that the shaft coupling portion 21 andthe joint coupling portion 22 support each other. That is, the rollingbearing 8 is a rolling bearing for supporting the coupling portions.

Moreover, the flexible member 23 is interposed between the shaft joint 9and the joint coupling portion 22. The flexible member 23 is formed of aplurality of ring-shaped members or disc-shaped members which are eachcoupled to the flange portions 22 a and 9 b by the bolt/nut 29 b. Theflexible member 23 has the function of absorbing a misalignment such asdecentering or angle deviation (shaft misalignment) between the outputshaft 35 and the input shaft 41 by its own flection (elasticdeformation). The structure of the flexible member 23 and the structureof the flange portions 22 a and 9 b used in combination therewith arenot specifically limited, and a background art structure (for example,the structure described in JP-A-2006-250034, etc.) may be adopted if ithas the above-described function.

[Oiling Structure]

Between the shaft coupling portion 21 and the joint coupling portion 22,a grease (lubricant) for lubricating the one-way clutch 7 and therolling bearing 8 disposed thereinside is filled. The clutch unit 20 isprovided with sealing means 10 that forms a sealed space for filling thegrease between the shaft main portion 21 a and the cylindrical mainportion 22 b which is an area accommodating the one-way clutch 7 and therolling bearing 8. In the present embodiment, the shaft coupling portion21 further has an inner ring 71 attached to the outer periphery side ofthe shaft main portion 21 a. This inner ring 71 also functions as theinner ring portion of the one-way clutch 7. Therefore, the sealing spaceis formed between the inner ring 71 and the cylindrical main portion 22b. The sealing means 10 is provided on the side of the output shaft 35,and although not shown in FIG. 4, another sealing means may be providedon the side of the shaft joint 9. Thereby, the grease is filled betweenthe cylindrical main portion 22 b and the shaft main portion 21 a, sothat the one-way clutch 7 and the rolling bearing 8 can be suitablylubricated. The position of placement of the one-way clutch 7 and theposition of placement of the rolling bearing 8 in the sealing spacecommunicate with each other in the axial direction, so that the greasespreads between the one-way clutch 7 and the rolling bearing 8.

The cylindrical main portion 22 b has an oiling hole 61 a formed so asto pass therethrough in the radial direction from the outer peripheralsurface to the inner peripheral surface thereof (the sealing space), andto the oiling hole 61 a, a grease nipple (fill opening with a checkvalve) 64 is attached. While the oiling hole 61 a (and the grease nipple64) are provided on the side of the output shaft 35 of the one-wayclutch 7 in the present embodiment, they may be provided in positionscorresponding to between the one-way clutch 7 and the rolling bearing 8.Moreover, the oiling hole 61 a is provided in a plurality of positionsin the circumferential direction, for example, in four positions at evenintervals in the circumferential direction, and the grease can besupplied into the sealing space from any of the oiling holes 61 a.

Moreover, by detaching the grease nipple 64 of the oiling hole 61 a whenthe grease is supplied from any of the oiling holes 61 a, old grease canbe discharged from the other oiling holes 61 a. Thus, the oiling hole 61a has not only the function as the grease supply portion but also thefunction as the discharge portion.

Although the position of the oiling hole 61 a changes as the jointcoupling portion 22 rotates, since the oiling hole 61 a is provided morethan one in number in the circumferential direction, the oiling hole 61a situated in a position where oiling is easiest can be selected toperform oiling. Therefore, oiling work can be easily performed.

Moreover, when the oiling hole 61 a is provided in a positioncorresponding to between the one-way clutch 7 and the rolling bearing 8,the supply of the grease to these can be performed with reliability.While it is preferable to use, as the grease, one using ester as thebase oil and a urea material or the like as the thickener andinsusceptible to temperature changes, the present invention is notlimited thereto.

[Rolling Bearing 8 and One-Way Clutch 7]

In FIG. 4, the rolling bearing 8 is interposed between the shaft mainportion 21 a of the shaft coupling portion 21 and the cylindrical mainportion 22 b of the joint coupling portion 22, and supports the shaftcoupling portion 21 and the joint coupling portion 22 in such a manneras to be relatively rotatable with respect to each other. The rollingbearing 8 is formed of a deep groove ball bearing provided with an innerring 81 and an outer ring 82 as raceway rings, a plurality of balls(rolling elements) 83 disposed so as to be rollable between the innerring 81 and the outer ring 82 and a cage 84 holding the balls 83 atintervals in the circumferential direction.

FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view taken on the arrow A in FIG. 4. Asshown in FIG. 4 and FIG. 5, the one-way clutch 7 is provided with aninner ring portion, an outer ring portion and a plurality of rollers(engagement elements) 73. In the present embodiment, the inner ringportion is formed of the inner ring 71 externally fitted on the shaftmain portion 21 a, and the outer ring portion is formed of part of thecylindrical main portion 22 b. In the following, this part of thecylindrical main portion 22 b will be called an outer ring 72 of theone-way clutch 7. The outer ring portion is a member separate from thecylindrical main portion 22 b, and may be formed of a member fitted andfixed to the inner peripheral surface of the cylindrical main portion 22b.

The inner ring 71 is fixed by being fitted on the shaft main portion 21a, and rotates integrally with the shaft coupling portion 21. Therollers 73 are disposed between an outer peripheral surface 71 a of theinner ring 71 and an inner peripheral surface 72 a of the outer ring 72.The inner peripheral surface 72 a of the outer ring 72 forms the innerperipheral surface 72 a where the rollers 73 roll. In the presentembodiment, the rollers 73 are formed in a cylindrical shape, andprovided eight in number in the circumferential direction (see FIG. 5).

The one-way clutch 7 is further provided with a ring-shaped cage 74holding the rollers 73 at predetermined intervals in the circumferentialdirection and a plurality of elastic members (pushing members) 75elastically pushing the rollers 73 in one direction in thecircumferential direction (see FIG. 5).

FIG. 6 is a perspective view showing the cage 74 of the one-way clutch7. The cage 74 has a pair of ring-shaped portions 76 facing each otherin the axial direction and a plurality of strut portions 77 separatefrom these ring-shaped portions 76 and both axial end portions of whichare fitted on the ring-shaped portions 76. Pockets 78 are formed byspaces surrounded by the ring-shaped portions 76 and thecircumferentially adjoining strut portions 77, and the rollers 73 areindividually accommodated in the pockets 78, respectively (see FIG. 5).

The ring-shaped portions 76 are made of a metallic material such ascarbon steel or aluminum, and on the inner peripheries of thering-shaped portions 76, a plurality of concave portions 76 a are formedat predetermined intervals in the circumferential direction.

The strut portion 77 has a main portion 77 a, a protruding portion 77 bprovided so as to protrude on one end surface of the main portion 77 ain the circumferential direction and a pair of fitted portions 77 cformed on both end portions of the main portion 77 a in the axialdirection. The main portion 77 a, the protruding portion 77 b and thefitted portions 77 c are integrally molded by injection molding of asynthetic resin material.

The fitted portions 77 c are formed so that the radial thickness thereofis smaller than that of the main portion 77 a, and the outer peripheralsurface of the ring-shaped portion 76 and the outer peripheral surfaceof the main portion 77 a are substantially flush with each other in astate in which the fitted portions 77 c are fitted in the concaveportions 76 a.

The protruding portion 77 b is, as shown in FIG. 5, for guiding(positioning) the elastic members 75 accommodated in the pocket 78. Theprotruding portion 77 b is formed so as to be gradually tapered towardthe end. The elastic members 75 are loosely fitted from the end side ofthe protruding portion 77 b. The elastic members 75 are formed ofcompression coil springs formed so as to elongate in the axialdirection. The elastic members 75 may be springs of a different formsuch as leaf springs.

As described above, the cage 74 is formed of the ring-shaped portions 76and the strut portions 77 and these are formed separately from eachother, so that the ring-shaped portions 76 and the strut portions 77 canbe manufactured individually. Consequently, the cage 74 can be easilymanufactured compared with when the entire cage 74 is integrallymanufactured. In particular, since the cage 74 used for the wind powergeneration device 1 is large in size and it is difficult to manufacturethe whole thereof integrally, forming the ring-shaped portions 76 andthe strut portions 77 separately from each other is more beneficial.Moreover, by making the ring-shaped portions 76 of a metal, a sufficientstrength can be ensured for the cage 74, and by making the strutportions 77 of a synthetic resin, the overall weight of the cage 74 canbe reduced.

Moreover, as shown in FIG. 4, on the inner peripheral surface of thering-shaped portion 76 on one side, a convex portion 76 c is formed. Onthe outer peripheral surface 71 a of the inner ring 71, a concaveportion 71 b where the convex portion 76 c is inserted is formed. By theconvex portion 76 c being inserted in the concave portion 71 b, the cage74 has its axial movement limited, and as a consequence, the rollers 73have their axial movement limited by the cage 74.

As shown in FIG. 5, flat cam surfaces 71 a 1 of the same number (eight)as that of the rollers 73 are formed on the outer peripheral surface 71a of the inner ring 71, and the inner peripheral surface 72 a of theouter ring 72 is a cylindrical surface. Between the cam surfaces 71 a 1and the inner peripheral surface 72 a, a plurality of (eight)wedge-shaped spaces S are formed in the circumferential direction.

FIG. 7 is a cross-sectional view showing an enlargement of a relevantpart of the one-way clutch 7. A plurality of rollers 73 are interposedbetween the inner ring 71 of the shaft coupling portion 21 and thecylindrical main portion 22 b of the joint coupling portion 22.Moreover, the rollers 73 are individually disposed in the wedge-shapedspaces S, respectively. Moreover, the rollers 73 are pushed by theelastic members 75 in a direction in which the wedge-shaped spaces Sbecome narrower. The outer peripheral surface of each roller 73 is acontact surface 73 a that is in contact with the cam surface 71 a 1 ofthe inner ring 71 and the inner peripheral surface 72 a of the outerring 72 (part of the cylindrical main portion 22 b), and this contactsurface 73 a is formed straightly in the width direction (the axialdirection).

In the one-way clutch 7 structured as described above, when the rotationspeed of the shaft coupling portion 21 and the inner ring 71 is higherthan the rotation speed of the joint coupling portion 22 (the outer ring72) by the shaft coupling portion 21 and the inner ring 71 integraltherewith rotating with increasing speed, the shaft main portion 21 aand the inner ring 71 behave so as to relatively rotate in one direction(the counterclockwise direction in FIG. 5; the direction of the arrow ain FIG. 7) with respect to the outer ring 72. In this case, by thepressing force of the elastic members 75, the rollers 73 slightly movein a direction in which the wedge-shaped spaces S become narrower(rightward in FIG. 7) so that the contact surfaces 73 a of the rollers73 are in pressure contact with the outer peripheral surface 71 a (thecam surface 71 a 1; engaged surface) of the inner ring 71 and the innerperipheral surface (engaged surface) 72 a of the outer ring 72, whichresults in a condition where the rollers 73 are engaged between theinner ring 71 and the outer ring 72. This enables the inner ring 71 andthe outer ring 72 to integrally rotate in the one direction a, so thatthe shaft coupling portion 21 and the joint coupling portion 22 can beintegrally rotatably connected.

In the present embodiment, as shown in FIG. 4, the shaft couplingportion 21 is integrally rotatable with the output shaft 35 of the speedincreaser 3, and the joint coupling portion 22 is integrally rotatablewith the input shaft 41 of the power generator 4 through the shaft joint9. For this reason, in the one-way clutch 7, the shaft coupling portion21 and the joint coupling portion 22 can be integrally rotatablyconnected in a state in which the rotation speed of the output shaft 35is higher than the rotation speed of the input shaft 41. That is, therollers 73 can engage the outer peripheral surface 71 a of the innerring 71 of the shaft coupling portion 21 and the inner peripheralsurface 72 a of the cylindrical main portion 22 b (the outer ring 72) ofthe joint coupling portion 22 in a state in which the rotation speed ofthe output shaft 35 is higher than the rotation speed of the input shaft41, so that the shaft coupling portion 21 and the joint coupling portion22 can be integrally rotatably connected. As a consequence, the outputshaft 35 rotates integrally with the input shaft 41 through the shaftjoint 9.

Moreover, when the rotation of the output shaft 35 (the shaft couplingportion 21) becomes a constant speed rotation after the rotation withincreasing speed and the rotation speed of the shaft coupling portion 21becomes the same as the rotation speed of the input shaft 41 (the jointcoupling portion 22), the rollers 73 are held in a state of beingengaged between the inner and outer rings 71 and 72. For this reason,the one-way clutch 7 maintains the integral rotation of the inner andouter rings 71 and 72 in the one direction, so that the output shaft 35(the shaft coupling portion 21) and the input shaft 41 (the jointcoupling portion 22) continue to rotate integrally.

On the other hand, when the rotation speed of the shaft coupling portion21 is lower than the rotation speed of the joint coupling portion 22 bythe output shaft 35 decelerating so that the shaft coupling portion 21rotates with decreasing speed, the inner ring 71 behaves so as torelatively rotate in the other direction (the clockwise direction inFIG. 5; the direction of the arrow b in FIG. 7) with respect to theouter ring 72. In this case, the engagement between the rollers 73 andthe inner and outer rings 71 and 72 is released by the rollers 73slightly moving in a direction in which the wedge-shaped spaces S becomewider against the pressing force of the elastic members 75. As describedabove, the shaft coupling portion 21 and the joint coupling portion 22are disconnected by the engagement of the rollers 73 being released.

That is, in the one-way clutch 7, the shaft coupling portion 21 and thejoint coupling portion 22 are disconnected in a state in which therotation speed of the output shaft 35 is lower than the rotation speedof the input shaft 41. That is, the engagement of the rollers 73 withthe outer peripheral surface 71 a of the inner ring 71 of the shaftcoupling portion 21 and the inner peripheral surface 72 a of thecylindrical main portion 22 b (the outer ring 72) of the joint couplingportion 22 is released in a state in which the rotation speed of theoutput shaft 35 is lower than the rotation speed of the input shaft 41,so that the shaft coupling portion 21 and the joint coupling portion 22are disconnected. As a consequence, the output shaft 35 is disconnectedfrom the shaft joint 9, so that the output shaft 35 and the input shaft41 are relatively rotatable (idly rotatable).

While the inner peripheral surface 72 a forming the wedge-shaped spacesS is formed of part (arc surface) of a cylindrical surface continuous inthe circumferential direction, it may be formed of an arc surface notcontinuous in the circumferential direction, for example, an independentarc surface such that a flat surface or an inflection point isinterposed between the inner peripheral surfaces 72 a of thewedge-shaped spaces S adjoining in the circumferential direction.

[Regarding the Action of Increasing the Tightening Force]

In the shaft coupling portion 21, the inner ring 71 is fitted on theshaft main portion 21 a by interference fit with a predeterminedinterference. Consequently, these are integrally rotatable by thetightening force of the inner ring 71 for the shaft main portion 21 a.Moreover, the tightening force of the inner ring 71 for the shaft mainportion 21 a is increased by the engagement between the rollers 73 andthe inner and outer rings 71 and 72. Hereinafter, this action will bedescribed.

As shown in FIG. 7, when the inner ring 71 behaves so as to relativelyrotate in the direction of the arrow a in FIG. 7 with respect to theouter ring 72, the rollers 73 engage with the cam surface 71 a 1 and theinner peripheral surface 72 a, the rollers 73 receive a load Fa (Fb)from the inner peripheral surface 72 a as shown in FIG. 8(a) (FIG.8(b)), and the cam surface 71 a 1 of the inner ring 71 receives avertical component load Fa1 (Fb1) which is a component force of the loadFa (Fb) from the rollers 73. Consequently, the tightening force of theinner ring 71 for the shaft main portion 21 a is increased by thisvertical component load Fa1 (Fb1).

For this reason, a torque (transmission torque) T2 transmittable fromthe shaft main portion 21 a to the inner ring 71 by the tightening forceby the fitting between the shaft main portion 21 a and the inner ring 71(hereinafter, referred to as “initial tightening force”) can be madelower than the maximum transmission torque T1max to be transmitted fromthe shaft main portion 21 a to the inner ring 71 when the load torque(the power generation torque or the inertia torque for rotating therotor 42 of the power generator 4) for operating the wind powergeneration device 1 becomes maximum. That is, T2 and T1max can be set tothe following relationship:T1max>T2  (1)

Moreover, when the transmission torque transmittable from the shaft mainportion 21 a to the inner ring 71 by the tightening force by theengagement between the rollers 73 and the inner and outer rings 71 and72 (hereinafter, also referred to as “additional tightening force”) isT3, the value obtained by adding T2 and T3 is always higher than aminimum transmission torque T1 necessary for operating the wind powergeneration device 1. That is,T1<T2+T3  (2)

In particular, by the additional tightening force when the load torqueis maximum, a transmission torque T3max transmittable from the shaftmain portion 21 a to the inner ring 71 satisfies the followingcondition:T1max<T2+T3max  (3)

The relationship between the load torque and the transmission torques T1to T3 is as shown by the graph of FIG. 9. The above-mentioned maximumload torque is a maximum load torque assumed as a design condition ofthe wind power generation device 1 and is not an excessive load torquecaused at times such as when the wind power generation device 1 suffersa breakdown or when abrupt wind speed fluctuations exceeding assumptionsoccur due to an abnormal weather.

By the relationships of the above expressions (1) to (3) beingsatisfied, the initial tightening force by the fitting between the shaftmain portion 21 a and the inner ring 71 can be minimized, theinterference necessary for the fitting therebetween is reduced, and theinternal stress (particularly, the stress in the circumferentialdirection) caused on the inner ring 71 by the fitting can be reduced. Byreducing the internal stress of the inner ring 71, the durability of theinner ring 71 is enhanced, and the life of the one-way clutch 7,consequently, the clutch unit 20 can be enhanced. The interferencebetween the shaft main portion 21 a and the inner ring 71 may be 10 μmat the minimum.

By omitting the inner ring 71 of the one-way clutch 7 and forming a camsurface directly on the shaft main portion 21 a, the stressconcentration on the inner ring 71 accompanying the fitting as describedabove can be suppressed, which is favorable. However, since the one-wayclutch 7 used for the wind power generation device 1 as in the presentembodiment is large in size, forming a cam surface directly on the shaftmain portion 21 a is difficult and impractical. Therefore, it is mosteffective to set the relationship between the transmission torques T1 toT3 and the load torque like the above expressions (1) to (3).

[Wedge Angle of the Wedge-Shaped Space S]

On the other hand, when the tightening force due to the engagementbetween the rollers 73 and the inner and outer rings 71 and 72 becomesexcessively high with an increase in the load torque, the burden on theinner ring 71 becomes heavy, so that the durability can rather decrease.For this reason, in the present embodiment, as the load torqueincreases, the increment of the vertical component load applied from therollers 73 to the inner ring 71 (the cam surface 71 a 1) with respect tothe increment of the load torque is decreased so that the burden on theinner ring 71 can be minimized.

Specifically, since the inner peripheral surface 72 a of the outer ring72 is formed as an arc surface, the wedge angle is larger in an areawhere the wedge-shaped space S is smaller (see FIG. 7).

FIG. 8(a) shows a condition where the roller 73 is situated in an areawhere the wedge-shaped space S is comparatively large and the wedgeangle θa is small, and FIG. 8(b) shows a condition where the roller 73is situated in an area where the wedge-shaped space S is comparativelysmall and the wedge angle θb is large.

Moreover, the time when the roller 73 is situated in an area where thewedge-shaped space S is large is in the early stage of the engagementbetween the roller 73 and the inner and outer rings 71 and 72, forexample, in cases where the load torque is low such as when the cut-inwind speed (the minimum wind speed necessary for power generation) isreached from the non-rotating condition to start rotation and when therotation becomes constant at the cut-in wind speed and stable, and thetime when the roller 73 is situated in an area where the wedge-shapedspace S is small is in cases where the load torque is high such as whenthe wind speed becomes not less than the rated wind speed and reachesthe rated output. The cut-in wind speed may be an instantaneous windspeed or may be the average wind speed for a predetermined time.

Therefore, in FIGS. 8(a) and 8(b), the load Fa and the load Fb appliedfrom the inner peripheral surface 72 a of the outer ring 72 to therollers 73 have the following relationship:Fa<Fb  (4)

In FIG. 8(b), the percentage of the vertical component load Fb1 to theload Fb applied from the inner peripheral surface 72 a to the roller 73(Fb/Fb1) is, in FIG. 8(a), lower than the percentage of the verticalcomponent load Fa1 to the load Fa (Fa/Fa1). For this reason, even if theload torque increases, the vertical component load Fb1 does not becomevery high, so that the burden on the inner ring 71 can be reduced.

The wedge angle θa when the initial load torque of the engagementbetween the rollers 73 and the inner and outer rings 71 and 72 acts andthe wedge angle θb when the maximum load torque acts are set to thefollowing relationship:1.0°<θb−θa<1.5°  (5)

The wedge angle θa is preferably in a range of 4° to 9°, and the wedgeangle θb is preferably in a range of 5.5° to 10°. This is because if thewedge angle θa is smaller than 4°, there is a possibility that thevertical component load Fa1 applied from the rollers 73 to the camsurface 71 a 1 is higher than necessary and if the wedge angle θa ishigher than 9°, the other wedge angle θb is too large so that there is apossibility that the engagement between the rollers and the peripheralsurfaces are insufficient. Moreover, this is because if the wedge angleθb is smaller than 5.5°, the other wedge angle θa is too small so thatthere is a possibility that the vertical component load Fa1 applied fromthe rollers 73 to the cam surface 71 a 1 is enhanced more than necessaryand if the wedge angle θb is higher than 10°, there is a possibilitythat the engagement between the rollers 73 and the inner and outer rings71 and 72 is insufficient.

Moreover, the ratio between the wedge angles θa and θb is set to1.1<θb/θa<1.4  (6)

(more preferably, 1.11<θb/θa<1.38).

By the wedge angles θa and θb being set to the above relationship,during the period from the early stage of the engagement between therollers 73, and the inner ring 71 and the outer ring 72 to when the loadtorque becomes maximum, the torque transmission between the shaft mainportion 21 a and the inner ring 71 can be performed with reliability andthe burden on the inner ring 71 can be reduced.

The relationships like the above expressions (5) and (6) can be set byadjusting the inside diameter of the outer ring 72, the outside diameterand P.C.D. of the rollers 73, the distance between the inner peripheralsurface 72 a and the cam surface 71 a 1 and the like. Moreover, it ispreferable to set the number of rollers 73 of the one-way clutch 7 tofour to eight. This is because if the number of rollers 73 is largerthan eight, the load Fa (Fb) from the inner peripheral surface 72 a tothe rollers 73 is dispersed, the vertical component load Fa1 from therollers 73 to the cam surface 71 a 1 is low and there is a possibilitythat the tightening force of the inner ring 71 on the shaft main portion21 a cannot be sufficiently obtained. Moreover, this is because if thenumber of rollers 73 is smaller than four, the tightening force of theinner ring 71 on the shaft main portion 21 a is too high and a localburden on the inner ring 71 is heavy,

[Regarding the Torque Limiter]

The one-way clutch 7 of the present embodiment may be provided with atorque limiter 24 that disconnects the shaft coupling portion 21 and thejoint coupling portion 22 when the transmission torque from the shaftcoupling portion 21 to the joint coupling portion 22 exceeds apredetermined value (upper limit value). FIG. 10 is a cross-sectionalview showing part of the one-way clutch 7 provided with the torquelimiter 24.

As described above, in the one-way clutch 7, by the shaft couplingportion 21 rotating with increasing speed in the direction of the arrowa in FIG. 7, the rollers 73 are engaged between the cam surface 71 a 1and the inner peripheral surface 72 a of the outer ring 72 to integrallyrotate the joint coupling portion 22 in the same direction. However, forexample, if seizure or the like occurs on the power generator 4 and thismakes the input shaft 41 difficult to rotate, the joint coupling portion22 coupled to the input shaft 41 through the shaft joint 9 is alsodifficult to rotate, so that the running torque transmitted from theshaft coupling portion 21 to the joint coupling portion 22 is excessive.As a consequence, for example, a heavy burden is placed on the speedincreaser 3 between the output shaft 35 coupled to the shaft couplingportion 21 and the main shaft 2, so that there is a possibility thatgears, bearings and the like in the speed increaser 3 are damaged.

Accordingly, to solve the inconvenience as described above, the torquelimiter 24 is provided. As shown in FIG. 10, concave portions 25 wherethe rollers 73 can be accommodated are formed on the outer peripheralsurface 71 a of the inner ring 71. The concave portions 25 are formedbetween the circumferentially adjoining cam surfaces 71 a 1. Into eachconcave portion 25, the roller 73 that can abut on the cam surface 71 a1 disposed so as to adjoin in the direction of the arrow a drops when itclimbs over an end portion 71 a 2 of the cam surface 71 a 1, andaccommodated.

The concave portion 25 has its bottom portion 25 a formed as an arcsurface having substantially the same radius as the roller 73, and sidewall portions 25 b 1 and 25 b 2 formed on both sides of the bottomportion 25 a in the circumferential direction are formed so as to beparallel to each other. The side wall portions 25 b 1 and 25 b 2 areformed as inclined surfaces inclined in such a manner that the closer tothe outside in the radial direction they are with respect to a radialvirtual line Y passing through the shaft center O of the one-way clutch7 and the center of curvature of the bottom portion 25 a, the more theyare situated in the direction of the arrow a. For this reason, the sidewall portion 25 b 1 on the side closer to the roller 73 is longer, andthe side wall portion 25 b 2 on the farther side is shorter. Moreover,the angle between the cam surface 71 a 1 and one side wall portion 25 b1 is not less than 90° (for example, approximately 90° to 120°).

Moreover, the concave portion 25 is formed in a depth capable ofaccommodating the entire roller 73. For this reason, the roller 73accommodated in the concave portion 25 is situated radially inside theelastic member 75.

The elastic member 75 is provided with a cover member 26. This covermember 26 is formed in a bottomed tube form so as to surround one endsurface in the circumferential direction (the end surface on the side ofthe roller 73), the outer side surface in the radial direction, theinner side surface in the radial direction and both side surfaces in theaxial direction of the elastic member 75, and a part 26 a covering theone end surface in the circumferential direction abuts on the roller 73.Moreover, a part 26 b covering the outer side surface in the radialdirection of the elastic member 75 is formed in an arc form along theinner peripheral surface 72 a of the outer ring 72, and this part 26 bis coated with a fluorocarbon resin, molybdenum disulfide or the like tothereby reduce the frictional resistance so that it can smoothly slideeven if it is in contact with the inner peripheral surface 72 a of theouter ring 72.

When the running torque transmitted from the shaft coupling portion 21to the joint coupling portion 22 exceeds the upper limit, the roller 73climbs over the end portion 71 a 2 from on the cam surface 71 a 1, andas shown in FIG. 11, drops into the concave portion 25 to be separatedfrom the wedge-shaped space S. Consequently, the shaft coupling portion21 and the joint coupling portion 22 are completely disconnected, sothat the transmission of the running torque therebetween is cut off.Consequently, the shaft coupling portion 21 rotates with hardly any loadplaced thereon, so that the burden on the speed increaser 3 can bereduced and the damage to the speed increaser 3 can be prevented.

Moreover, as long as the main shaft 2 is rotating, the shaft couplingportion 21 continues rotating with the rotation speed being increased bythe speed increaser 3 even after the rollers 73 are accommodated in theconcave portions 25; however, if the rollers 73 are separated outward inthe radial direction from the concave portions 25 due to the centrifugalforce by the rotation of the shaft coupling portion 21 and the rollers73 again engage the cam surface 71 a 1 and the inner peripheral surface72 a of the outer ring 72, the shaft coupling portion 21 is connected tothe joint coupling portion 22 to be locked, so that a heavy burden isplaced on the speed increaser 3. To prevent such a situation, the torquelimiter 24 of the present embodiment is provided with separationpreventing means for preventing the rollers 73 from separating from theconcave portions 25.

Specifically, to form the separation preventing means, one side wallportion (one edge portion in the circumferential direction; restrictionportion) 25 b 2 of the concave portion 25 protrudes outward in theradial direction of the roller 73. That is, even if the roller 73behaves so as to move outward in the radial direction (the direction ofthe arrow B along the virtual line Y) due to the centrifugal force, theside wall portion 25 b 2 of the concave portion 25 is an obstacle tomake the movement difficult, so that the separation from the concaveportion 25 is prevented. Moreover, since an inertial force in adirection opposite to the arrow a is applied to the roller 73 by theshaft coupling portion 21 rotating in the direction of the arrow a,separation from the concave portion 25 is more difficult.

Moreover, the elastic members 75 and the cover member 26 have thefunction as the separation preventing means. That is, when the roller 73on the cam surface 71 a 1 is dropped into the concave portion 25, theelastic members 75 in the pocket 78 expand, so that the roller 73 issituated radially inside the elastic members 75 and the cover member 26and at least part of the concave portion 25 is closed by the covermember 26. For this reason, even if the roller 73 behaves so as to moveradially outward due to the centrifugal force by the rotation of theshaft coupling portion 21, the elastic members 75 and the cover member26 are obstacles to inhibit the movement, so that the separation of theroller 73 from the concave portion 25 is suitably prevented. Inparticular, by the elastic members 75 being provided with the covermember 26, the separation of the roller 73 from the concave portion 25can be prevented with reliability.

The structure of the torque limiter for preventing a breakdown of thespeed increaser 3 and the like may have a different form. For example,the spacer 23 shown in FIG. 4 may function as the torque limiter. Thatis, in this case, the spacer 23 is made of resin so that the spacer 23is broken when an abnormal excessive torque is about to act on theoutput shaft 35 and the like.

[Regarding Another Embodiment of the Clutch Unit 20]

FIG. 12 is a longitudinal cross-sectional view showing the shaft joint9, the clutch unit 20 and surroundings thereof. The clutch unit 20 shownin FIG. 12 has, like the clutch unit 20 shown in FIG. 4, the shaftcoupling portion 21 coupled to the output shaft 35, the joint couplingportion 22 coupled to the shaft joint 9 and the one-way clutch 7provided between the shaft coupling portion 21 and the joint couplingportion 22. In the embodiments shown in FIG. 4 and FIG. 12, the sameconstituent elements are denoted by the same reference numerals andsigns.

Comparing the clutch unit 20 shown in FIG. 4 and the clutch unit 20shown in FIG. 12, the coupling structure of the output shaft 35 and theshaft coupling portion 21 and the support structure of the shaftcoupling portion 21 and the joint coupling portion 22 are different.Moreover, the embodiment shown in FIG. 12 is different from theembodiment shown in FIG. 4 in that the inner ring of the one-way clutch7 is formed of part of the shaft coupling portion 21.

The above-mentioned coupling structure will be described. On an endportion 35 e of the output shaft 35, a male screw 46 is formed. On thecontrary, the shaft coupling portion 21 is formed of a hollow shaftmember, and a female screw 47 screwed with the male screw 46 is formedon the shaft coupling portion 21. The female screw 47 has a structure inwhich when its tightening with the male screw 46 is completed, rotationis locked in the tightening direction. That is, the output shaft 35 hasa large-diameter portion 48 with a radial dimension larger than that ofthe male screw 46, and when the female screw 47 and the male screw 46are tightened together, finally, the end surface of the female screw 47in the axial direction abuts on an end surface 48 a of thelarge-diameter portion 48 in the axial direction. Thereby, the outputshaft 35 and the shaft coupling portion 21 cannot be relatively rotatedany more, so that rotation is locked in the tightening direction.

While the shaft coupling portion 21 is rotated with respect to theoutput shaft 35 so that the screws 46 and 47 are screwed to be coupledtogether, to perform the work easily, a hexagonal hole 49 is formed onthe shaft coupling portion 21. That is, part of a hexagonal wrench isinserted in the hexagonal hole 49 to perform tightening.

The direction of tightening of the screws 46 and 47 is set to the samedirection as the rotation direction of the output shaft 35 and the inputshaft 41 at the time of power generation by the power generator 4.Thereby, even if the running torque acts between the output shaft 35 andthe shaft coupling portion 21 because of power generation, the screws 46and 47 are never unscrewed.

According to the above coupling structure, the output shaft 35 and theshaft coupling portion 21 can be easily coupled.

The above-mentioned support structure will be described. The jointcoupling portion 22 is formed of a tubular member, and the shaftcoupling portion 21 is formed of a shaft-shaped (hollow shaft-shaped)member situated radially inside the tubular member. The clutch unit 20has a support portion 56 for concentrically supporting the shaftcoupling portion 21 and the joint coupling portion 22.

The support portion 56 has a plurality of ball rows (three ball rows inFIG. 12), and each ball row has a ball 57 arranged more then one innumber in the circumferential direction. Further, the support portion 56has a ring-shaped cage 58, and the cage 58 is capable of holding theball rows at intervals in the axial direction and of holding the balls57 included in the ball rows at intervals in the circumferentialdirection.

In the area where the support portion 56 is provided, an innerperipheral surface 22 c of the joint coupling portion 22 and an outerperipheral surface 21 e of the shaft coupling portion 21 are each formedof a cylindrical surface. This support portion 56 is rotatable in thecircumferential direction, and is also movable in the axial direction.

From the above, the support portion 56 has the balls 57 interposedbetween the outer peripheral surface 21 e of the shaft coupling portion21 and the inner peripheral surface 22 c of the joint coupling portion22 and the cage 58 holding the balls 57 at intervals in thecircumferential direction, and is capable of supporting the shaftcoupling portion 21 and the joint coupling portion 22 in such a mannerthat they are relatively movable in the axial direction and relativelyrotatable.

According to this support structure, since the shaft coupling portion 21and the joint coupling portion 22 are relatively movable in the axialdirection, even if the axial length is changed by thermal expansion andcontraction due to a temperature rise or a temperature fall in the partfrom the output shaft 35 by way of the shaft joint 9 to the input shaft41, the change can be absorbed by the structure of the shaft couplingportion 21 and the joint coupling portion 22, and the support portion56.

Although not shown, a structure may be adopted in which the shaftcoupling portion 21 is a tubular member, the joint coupling portion 22is a shaft-shaped member situated radially inside this tubular memberand the support portion 56 is provided therebetween.

[Regarding Another Embodiment of the Clutch Unit 20]

FIG. 16 is a longitudinal cross-sectional view showing the shaft joint9, the clutch unit 20 and surroundings thereof. The clutch unit 20 shownin FIG. 16 is interposed between the shaft joint 9 and the output shaft35 of the speed increaser 3 like the embodiments shown in FIG. 4 andFIG. 12. Moreover, like the clutch unit 20 shown in FIG. 4 and FIG. 12,the clutch unit 20 of the present embodiment also has the shaft couplingportion 21 coupled to the output shaft 35 and rotating integrally withthe output shaft 35, the joint coupling portion 22 coupled to the shaftjoint 9 and rotating integrally with the shaft joint 9 and the one-wayclutch 7 provided between the shaft coupling portion 21 and the jointcoupling portion 22. In the embodiments shown in FIG. 4 (FIG. 12) andFIG. 16, the same constituent elements are denoted by the same referencenumerals and signs as much as possible.

Comparing the clutch unit 20 shown in FIG. 4 (FIG. 12) and the clutchunit 20 shown in FIG. 16, in addition to the coupling structure of theoutput shaft 35 and the shaft coupling portion 21, the support structureof the joint coupling portion 22 and the shaft coupling portion 21 isdifferent. The clutch unit 20 shown in FIG. 16 is further provided witha support member 66 for supporting the joint coupling portion 22, theshaft coupling portion 21 and the like. Hereinafter, the structure ofthe clutch unit 20 shown in FIG. 16 will be described.

This clutch unit 20 further has the support member 66 fixed to thehousing 14 of the speed increaser 3 and a rolling bearing 68 providedbetween the support member 66 and the joint coupling portion 22.

The speed increaser 3 is provided with the housing 14, the output shaft35, the roller bearings 39 and a sealing member 40. The housing 14 isset in a state of being placed on the floor (concrete floor) of thenacelle 13 (see FIG. 1), and the self weight of the speed increaser 3including the housing 14 is supported by this floor. A plurality of rowsof roller bearings 39 are provided on the inner peripheral surface ofthe housing 14, and the output shaft 35 is rotatably supported by thehousing 14 by these roller bearings 39. In the ring-shaped space formedbetween the housing 14 and the output shaft 35, in addition to theroller bearings 39, the sealing member 40 is provided on the open endside, thereby preventing foreign matter from entering the speedincreaser 3. The output shaft 35 protrudes outward in the axialdirection from an end surface 14 a of the housing 14.

The shaft coupling portion 21 is a tubular member, and is externallyfitted on the output shaft 35 and fixed. For this reason, the shaftcoupling portion 21 is rotatable integrally with the output shaft 35. Aring-shaped spacer 69 a is provided axially next to the shaft couplingportion 21, and a sealing member 69 b is provided between the spacer 69a and the joint coupling portion 22. The sealing member 69 b preventsforeign matter from entering the side of the one-way clutch 7. Moreover,a nut member 69 c is screwed with the bolt portion formed on the endportion of the output shaft 35. By this nut member 69 c, the shaftcoupling portion 21 and the spacer 69 a are prevented from moving in theaxial direction and dropping from the output shaft 35.

The joint coupling portion 22 is annular as a whole, has a rotationalflange portion 22 d coupled to the shaft joint 9 and a rotationalcylindrical portion 22 e integral with the rotational flange portion 22d and having a cylindrical shape, and is L-shaped in cross section. Therotational flange portion 22 d is coupled to the flange portion 9 b ofthe shaft joint 9 through the spacer (flexible member) 23 by thebolt/nut 29 b. The rotational cylindrical portion 22 e is continuouswith the rotational flange portion 22 d and rotates integrally with therotational flange portion 22 d. The one-way clutch 7 is provided on theinner periphery side of the rotational cylindrical portion 22 e.

The one-way clutch 7 has a similar structure to that of theabove-described embodiments (see FIG. 5), and makes the rotation of theoutput shaft 35 transmittable to the input shaft 41 of the powergenerator 4 through the shaft coupling portion 21, the joint couplingportion 22 and the shaft joint 9. The one-way clutch 7 is provided withan inner ring portion, an outer ring portion and a plurality of rollers(engagement elements) 73. In the present embodiment, the inner ringportion is formed of the shaft coupling portion 21, and the outer ringportion is formed of the rotational cylindrical portion 22 e of thejoint coupling portion 22. That is, the shaft coupling portion 21functions as the inner ring of the one-way clutch 7, and the rotationalcylindrical portion 22 e functions as the outer ring of the one-wayclutch 7. The inner ring portion and the outer ring portion may bemembers separate from the shaft coupling portion 21 and the rotationalcylindrical portion 22 e, respectively.

The roller 73 of the one-way clutch 7 is disposed more than one innumber between the outer peripheral surface of the shaft couplingportion (inner ring) 21 and the inner peripheral surface of therotational cylindrical portion (outer ring) 22. In the presentembodiment, the rollers 73 are formed in a cylindrical shape, andprovided eight in number in the circumferential direction (see FIG. 5).

Moreover, the one-way clutch 7 is further provided with the ring-shapedcage 74 holding the rollers 73 at predetermined intervals in thecircumferential direction and a plurality of elastic members (pushingmembers) 75 elastically pushing the rollers 73 in one direction in thecircumferential direction (see FIG. 5).

This one-way clutch 7 has the same function as that of theabove-described embodiments. That is, the one-way clutch 7 integrallyrotatably connects the shaft coupling portion 21 and the joint couplingportion 22 in a state in which the rotation speed of the output shaft 35is higher than the rotation speed of the input shaft 41, and disconnectsthe shaft coupling portion 21 and the joint coupling portion 22 in astate in which the rotation speed of the output shaft 35 is lower thanthe rotation speed of the input shaft 41.

The support member 66 is annular as a whole, has a fixed flange portion66 d coupled to the housing 14 and a fixed cylindrical portion 66 eintegral with the fixed flange portion 66 d and having a cylindricalshape, and is L-shaped in cross section.

The rolling bearing 68 is provided between the inner peripheral surfaceof the fixed cylindrical portion 66 e and the outer peripheral surfaceof the rotational cylindrical portion 22 e. This enables the rollingbearing 68 to support the joint coupling portion 22 rotatably withrespect to the support member 66.

The fixed flange portion 66 d of the support member 66 is fixed to theend surface 14 a of the side portion of the housing 14 by a bolt 66 f.The fixed cylindrical portion 66 e is situated radially outside therotational cylindrical portion 22 e of the joint coupling portion 22.The rolling bearing 68 is interposed between the fixed cylindricalportion 66 e and the rotational cylindrical portion 22 e, and the fixedcylindrical portion 66 e and the rotational cylindrical portion 22 e canbe situated concentrically. Since the support member 66 is fixed to thehousing 14, the joint coupling portion 22 provided through the rollingbearing 68 is radially positioned with respect to the support member 66.For this reason, even if the engagement with the joint coupling portion22 and the shaft coupling portion 21 by the rollers 73 is released inthe one-way clutch 7, the joint coupling portion 22 and the shaft joint9 coupled thereto can maintain concentricity with the output shaft 35.

According to the clutch unit 20 of the above-described presentembodiment, the joint coupling portion 22 can be rotatably attached tothe housing 14 of the speed increaser 3 through the support member 66and the rolling bearing 68. For this reason, the load due to the gravity(weight) of the shaft joint 9 acting through the joint coupling portion22, the gravity (weight) of the one-way clutch 7 provided between thejoint coupling portion 22 and the shaft coupling portion 21 and thegravity (weight) of the joint coupling portion 22 itself is transmittedto the housing 14 and the housing 14 can support this load. That is, therolling bearing 68 is a rolling bearing for support and fixing (for thehousing 14).

If the support member 66 is not provided, the stress and the mechanicalload on the shaft joint 9 and the clutch unit 20 increase because of theweights of the shaft joint 9 and the clutch unit 20. For example, if adeformation occurs or a misalignment occurs on the output shaft 35 andthe input shaft 41 because of these weights, there is a possibility thatthe above-described engagement by the one-way clutch 7 and the releasethereof cannot be performed smoothly, and there are cases where thefunction as the one-way clutch deteriorates. On the contrary, accordingto the clutch unit 20 of the present embodiment, the occurrence of adeformation and a misalignment can be suppressed by the support member66.

Moreover, in the present embodiment, the joint coupling portion 22 hasthe rotational cylindrical portion 22 e where the one-way clutch 7 isprovided on the inner periphery side, and the support member 66 has thefixed cylindrical portion 66 e concentric with the rotationalcylindrical portion 22 e and situated radially outside the rotationalcylindrical portion 22 e. The rolling bearing 68 is provided between thefixed cylindrical portion 66 e and the rotational cylindrical portion 22e. The rollers 73 of the one-way clutch 7 are situated in the area ofthe rolling bearing 68 in the axial direction. This results in astructure in which the one-way clutch 7 is provided on the innerperiphery side of the rotational cylindrical portion 22 e of the jointcoupling portion 22 and the rolling bearing 68 is provided on the outerperiphery side of the rotational cylindrical portion 22 e.

The above results in an arrangement where the one-way clutch 7 and therolling bearing 68 are aligned in the radial direction, so that theaxial dimension E of the joint structure (the clutch unit 20) can bereduced. That is, the axial distance between the shaft joint 9 and thespeed increaser 3 can be made shorter than that of the above-describedembodiments. The positions of the rolling bearing 68 and the one-wayclutch 7 in the axial direction may be changed.

The rolling bearing 68 is a double row rolling bearing where rollingelements are provided in two rows in the axial direction. Alternatively,it may be a four-point contact ball bearing. Since this enables thesupport member 66 in a state of being fixed to support the jointcoupling portion 22 by two rows of balls (rolling elements) 68 cprovided so as to be separated in the axial direction, the occurrence ofan inclination of the center line of the support member 66 and the jointcoupling portion 22 can be suppressed. As a consequence, the occurrenceof an inclination of the clutch unit 20 and the like by the momentacting on the joint coupling portion 22 can be suppressed for thesupport member 66 in a state of being fixed. The rolling elements of therolling bearing 68 may be other than balls and may be rollers.

While an outer ring 68 a of the rolling bearing 68 is separate from thesupport member 66 in the embodiment shown in FIG. 16, the fixedcylindrical portion 66 e of the support member 66 may serve also as theouter ring of the rolling bearing 68 as in the modification shown inFIG. 17. In this case, the raceways (raceway grooves) 68 d of the balls(rolling elements) 68 c of the rolling bearing 68 are provided on theinner peripheral surface of the fixed cylindrical portion 66 e.

Moreover, while an inner ring 68 b of the rolling bearing 68 is separatefrom the joint coupling portion 22 in the embodiment shown in FIG. 16,the rotational cylindrical portion 22 e of the joint coupling portion 22may serve also as the inner ring of the rolling bearing 68 as shown inFIG. 17. In this case, the raceway (raceway grooves) 68 f of the balls(rolling elements) 68 c of the rolling bearing 68 are provided on theouter peripheral surface of the rotational cylindrical portion 22 e.

By the fixed cylindrical portion 66 e serving also as the outer ring ofthe rolling bearing 68 and the rotational cylindrical portion 22 eserving also as the inner ring of the rolling bearing 68 as describedabove, the number of parts can be reduced, and the reduction in thenumber of parts facilitates assembly.

In the embodiment shown in FIG. 16 (FIG. 17), the fixed object to whichthe support member 66 is to be fixed is the housing 14 of the speedincreaser 3, and the clutch unit 20 is interposed between the shaftjoint 9 and the output shaft 35 of the speed increaser 3. The housing 14is placed on the floor of the nacelle 13 where the wind power generationdevice 1 is provided, and is supported by this floor. Thereby, the loaddue to the gravities (weights) of the constituent members of the clutchunit 20 and the like is transmitted to the housing 14 of the speedincreaser 3 and the housing 14 of the speed increaser 3 can support thisload.

While a case where the support member 66 is fixed to the housing 14 ofthe speed increaser 3 as the fixed object of the wind power generationdevice 1 is described in the embodiment shown in FIG. 16 (FIG. 17),additionally, the fixed object may be, although not shown, for example,a slab or a pole in the nacelle 13.

While a case where the clutch unit 20 is provided between the outputshaft 35 of the speed increaser 3 and the shaft joint 9 is described inthe embodiment shown in FIG. 16 (FIG. 17) as described above, as anotherembodiment, the clutch unit 20 may be provided between the shaft joint 9and the input shaft 41 of the power generator 4 as shown in FIG. 18. Inthis case, the fixed object to which the support member 66 is to befixed is a housing 4 a of the power generator 4, and the clutch unit 20is interposed between the shaft joint 9 and the input shaft 41 of thepower generator 4. The support member 66 of the clutch unit 20 is fixedto the housing 4 a of the power generator 4. The housing 4 a is placedon the floor of the nacelle 13 (see FIG. 1) where the wind powergeneration device 1 is provided, and is supported by this floor.Thereby, the load due to the gravities (weights) of the constituentmembers of the clutch unit 20 and the like is transmitted to the housing4 a of the power generator 4 and the housing 4 a can support this load.

FIGS. 19(A) to 19(D) and FIGS. 20(A) to (D) are explanatory viewsexplaining an assembly method of the clutch unit 20 shown in FIG. 16. Asshown in FIGS. 19(A) and (B), a plurality of rollers (engagementelements) 73 for the one-way clutch 7 and the ring-shaped cage 74 areprovided on the outer periphery side of the shaft coupling portion 21which is cylindrical. This shaft coupling portion 21 is in a statebefore it is attached to the output shaft 35. The joint coupling portion22 is brought near the shaft coupling portion 21 from the axialdirection, and the joint coupling portion 22 is attached to the outsideof the roller 73 in the radial direction (see FIGS. 19(C) and (D)). Inthis case, the ring-shaped sealing member 69 b is attached on the innerperiphery side of the rotational cylindrical portion 22 e of the jointcoupling portion 22. Moreover, the ring-shaped spacer 69 a is providedin a position on the inner periphery side of the sealing member 69 b andaxially adjoining the shaft coupling portion 21. An intermediate productassembled in this way is called a first intermediate product M1.

Moreover, to facilitate the attachment when the joint coupling portion22 is brought near the shaft coupling portion 21 from the axialdirection and the joint coupling portion 22 is attached to the outsideof the rollers 73 in the radial direction as shown in FIG. 19(C), atapered portion is provided on an end portion of the inner peripheralsurface of the rotational cylindrical portion 22 e of the joint couplingportion 22. This tapered portion is formed of a tapered surface thediameter of which expands outward in the axial direction.

Apart from the first intermediate product M1, as shown in FIGS. 20(A)and (B), the rolling bearing 68 is attached to the inner periphery sideof the support member 66, and this is called a second intermediateproduct.

Then, as shown in FIG. 20(C), the first intermediate product M1 and thesecond intermediate product M2 are brought near each other in the axialdirection and combined together, thereby obtaining the clutch unit 20.To facilitate the combination (attachment) when the intermediateproducts M1 and M2 are brought near each other in the axial directionand combined together as described above, a tapered portion is providedon an end portion of the outer peripheral surface of the rotationalcylindrical portion 22 e of the joint coupling portion 22. This taperedportion is formed of a tapered surface the diameter of which contractsoutward in the axial direction.

Then, this clutch unit 20 and the output shaft 35 are brought near eachother in the axial direction and coupled together, that is, the shaftcoupling portion 21 and the spacer 69 a are externally fitted on theoutput shaft 35, the nut member 69 c is screwed with the bolt portionformed at the end of the output shaft 35 and is tightened (see FIG.20(D)). Then, the support member 66 of the clutch unit 20 is fixed tothe non-illustrated housing 14 of the speed increaser 3, and to thisclutch unit 20, the non-illustrated shaft joint 9 is attached.

The above results in a structure in which the clutch unit 20 shown inFIG. 16 is provided between the speed increaser 3 and the shaft joint 9.

[Regarding Still Another Embodiment of the Clutch Unit 20]

FIG. 13 is a transverse cross-sectional view showing part of the clutchunit 20. The one-way clutch 7 of this clutch unit 20 uses a sprag 73 asthe engagement element. In this case, the cam surface as shown in FIG. 7is not formed on the outer peripheral surface 71 a of the inner ring 71,and the outer peripheral surface 71 a is formed as a cylindricalsurface. In the embodiment shown in FIG. 13, the inner ring portion ofthe one-way clutch 7 is formed of part of the shaft main portion 21 a,and is not provided with the separate inner ring 71 as in the case ofFIG. 4. This one-way clutch 7 is applicable to the above-describedembodiments.

The sprag 73 is provided with a first abutment surface 73 b abutting onthe outer peripheral surface 71 a of the shaft main portion 21 a and asecond abutment surface 73 c abutting on the inner peripheral surface 72a of the cylindrical main portion 22 b, and the first abutment surface73 b and the second abutment surface 73 c are each formed in a convexand substantially arc shape. Moreover, the distance between the abutmentpoint of the first abutment surface 73 b abutting on the outerperipheral surface 71 a of the shaft main portion 21 a and the abutmentpoint of the second abutment surface 73 c abutting on the innerperipheral surface 72 a of the cylindrical main portion 22 b(hereinafter, referred to as inter-abutment-point distance) changesaccording to the inclination of the sprag 73. That is, when the shaftmain portion 21 a rotates in the direction of the arrow a with respectto the cylindrical main portion 22 b, the sprag 73 inclines in thedirection of the arrow e, so that the inter-abutment-point distanceincreases. On the contrary, when the shaft main portion 21 a rotates inthe direction of the arrow b with respect to the cylindrical mainportion 22 b, the sprag 73 inclines in the direction opposite to thearrow e, so that the inter-abutment-point distance decreases.

When the inter-abutment-point distance increases, the sprag 73 engagesthe outer peripheral surface 71 a of the shaft main portion 21 a and theinner peripheral surface 72 a of the cylindrical main portion 22 b, andconversely, when the inter-abutment-point distance decreases, theengagement between the sprag 73, and the outer peripheral surface 71 aof the shaft main portion 21 a and the inner peripheral surface 72 a ofthe cylindrical main portion 22 b is released.

Thus, when the shaft main portion 21 a behaves so as to relativelyrotate in the direction of the arrow a with respect to the cylindricalmain portion 22 b, the shaft main portion 21 a and the cylindrical mainportion 22 b are integrally rotatably connected, and when the shaft mainportion 21 a relatively rotates in the direction of the arrow b withrespect to the cylindrical main portion 22 b, the shaft main portion 21a and the cylindrical main portion 22 b are disconnected. Thereby,regarding the relationship between the output shaft 35 and the inputshaft 41, switching between the integrally rotating state and therelatively rotating state can be made as in the above-describedembodiments.

In the case of the embodiment shown in FIG. 13, in addition to theadvantages similar to those of the above-described embodiments, it isunnecessary to form the cam surface on the shaft main portion 21 a, sothat the manufacturing cost can be reduced. Moreover, since the shaftmain portion 21 a can be used as the inner ring, the manufacturing costcan be further reduced, and the structure of the one-way clutch 7 can besimplified and the radial dimension thereof can be reduced. Moreover,since the sprag 73 is easily made high in rigidity and the torquecapacity is easily increased compared with the rollers, the radial andaxial dimensions of the sprag 73 itself can be reduced. Consequently,size reduction can be achieved by reducing the radial and axialdimensions of the one-way clutch 7. By thus reducing the size of theone-way clutch 7, the overall size of the clutch unit 20 can be reducedin the radial direction and in the axial direction.

[Wind Power Generation Device 1 Provided with the Clutch Unit 20 of theEmbodiments]

As described above, the wind power generation device 1 (see FIG. 1) isprovided with a joint structure provided with the main shaft 2 thatrotates by wind power, the speed increaser 3 that increases the rotationspeed of the main shaft 2 and outputs it from the output shaft 35, thepower generator 4 that has the input shaft 41 rotating by receiving therotation of the output shaft 35 and generates power as the rotorrotating integrally with the input shaft 41 rotates, the shaft joint 9that is provided between the output shaft 35 and the input shaft 41 tomake it possible to transmit the torque between the output shaft 35 andthe input shaft 41, and the clutch unit 20 according to theabove-described embodiments interposed between the shaft joint 9 and theoutput shaft 35.

The clutch unit 20 has the one-way clutch 7, for example, as shown inFIG. 4, and as described above, this one-way clutch 7 is capable ofintegrally rotatably connecting the shaft coupling portion 21 and thejoint coupling portion 22 in a state in which the rotation speed of theoutput shaft 35 is higher than the rotation speed of the input shaft 41and disconnecting the shaft coupling portion 21 and the joint couplingportion 22 in a state in which the rotation speed of the output shaft 35is lower than the rotation speed of the input shaft 41.

As a consequence, in a state in which the output shaft 35 of the speedincreaser 3 rotates with increasing speed by the power inputted from theside of the main shaft 2 rotating by receiving the wind power so thatthe rotation speed of the output shaft 35 is about to exceed therotation speed of the input shaft 41, the output shaft 35 rotatingintegrally with the shaft coupling portion 21 is connected to the inputshaft 41 through the shaft joint 9 rotating integrally with the jointcoupling portion 22, and rotates integrally. Consequently, the powerinputted from the side of the main shaft 2 is transmitted to the inputshaft 41 and power generation is performed by the power generator 4.

Then, for example, when the wind power is decreased from this powergenerating state and the rotation of the output shaft 35 with increasingspeed is stopped, although the output shaft 35 decelerates, the inputshaft 41 behaves so as to continue rotating by the inertial force of therotor 42. In this case, the rotation speed of the shaft coupling portion21 integrally rotating together with the output shaft 35 becomes lowerthan the rotation speed of the joint coupling portion 22 integrallyrotating together with the input shaft 41, and the shaft couplingportion 21 of the output shaft 35 and the joint coupling portion 22 onthe side of the input shaft 41 are disconnected by the one-way clutch 7.

That is, even if the rotation speed of the output shaft 35 isdrastically decreased through the main shaft 2 because of reduction inwind power, the rotation by the inertia of the rotor 42 of the powergenerator 4 can be prevented from being transmitted to the output shaft35 through the input shaft 41.

Therefore, even if the output shaft 35 decelerates, since the outputshaft 35 and other shafts provided on the speed increaser 3 side of theoutput shaft 35 rotate inertially, drastic torque release is prevented,so that the rotation delay of the rolling elements (the cylindricalrollers 38 c) of the rolling bearings (for example, the roller bearings38 in FIG. 3) supporting the output shaft 35 and the other shafts can besuppressed.

For this reason, when the wind power increases to resume the rotation ofthe output shaft 35 with increasing speed after the output shaft 35decelerates, the rotation speed of the output shaft 35 exceeds therotation speed of the input shaft 41, the output shaft 35 and the inputshaft 41 are again connected by the one-way clutch 7 and a radial loadacts on the rolling bearings (the roller bearings 38); however, sincethe rotation delay of the rolling elements (the cylindrical rollers 38c) of the rolling bearings (the roller bearings 38) is suppressed,decrease in the life of the rolling bearings (the roller bearings 38)due to the occurrence of the smearing on the rolling elements (thecylindrical rollers 38 c) and the raceway surface where these rollingelements roll can be suppressed.

Moreover, when the rotation speed of the output shaft 35 drasticallydecreases through the main shaft 2 because of reduction in wind power,since the rotor 42 of the power generator 4 does not drasticallydecelerate but continues rotating due to inertia by the shaft couplingportion 21 and the joint coupling portion 22 being disconnected, theaverage rotation speed of the rotor 42 can be increased. Thereby, thepower generation efficiency of the power generator 4 can be improved.

Moreover, according to the rolling bearing 8 shown in FIG. 4, thesupport portion 56 shown in FIG. 12 and the support member 66 and therolling bearing 68 shown in FIG. 16, even if the shaft coupling portion21 of the output shaft 35 and the joint coupling portion 22 on the sideof the input shaft 41 are disconnected by the one-way clutch 7, that is,even if the engagement of the rollers 73 as the engagement elements ofthe one-way clutch 7 is released, the shaft coupling portion 21 and thejoint coupling portion 22 can be concentrically supported, so thatradial shakes (wobbles) of the shaft coupling portion 21 and the jointcoupling portion 22 can be prevented.

Further, in the above-described embodiments, the one-way clutch 7 isprovided not in the area of the shaft joint 9 in the axial direction butas one constituent element of the clutch unit 20 between the shaft joint9 and the speed increaser 3. For this reason, a joint structure isobtained in which even if there is no space enough to provide theone-way clutch 7 in the area of the shaft joint 9, the occurrence of thesmearing as described above can be suppressed.

Moreover, since the shaft coupling portion 21 is formed of a memberseparate from the output shaft 35 and coupled to the output shaft 35 andthe joint coupling portion 22 is formed of a member separate from theshaft joint 9 and coupled to the shaft joint 9, the joint structure canbe incorporated in the existing wind power generation device 1 providedwith the speed increaser 3 and the power generator 4 while the existingshaft joint 9 is retained as it is. However, the output shaft 35 needsto be changed or processed. That is, as the output shaft 35, it isnecessary to adopt one where the hole 35 d is formed as shown in FIG. 4or to adopt one where the male screw 46 is formed as shown in FIG. 12.

Moreover, particularly in the case of the embodiment shown in FIG. 12,when the inner peripheral surface 72 a of the outer ring 72 of theone-way clutch 7 is moved in the axial direction with respect to therollers 73 by the relative movements of the shaft coupling portion 21and the joint coupling portion 22 in the axial direction, the positionof the substantial inner peripheral surface 72 a is shifted in the axialdirection. In particular, since the wind power generation device 1 islarge in size, the position shift amount is inevitably large. To copewith such a position shift, it is preferable to previously perform, onthe inner peripheral surface 72 a of the cylindrical main portion 22 b,a surface treatment necessary for the inner peripheral surface 72 a inan area including the estimated position shift amount. This positionshift amount can be estimated by assuming a temperature change range(for example, −40° to 60°) from the environmental temperature where thewind power generation device 1 is used, the temperature in the nacelleconsidering the heat generation amount of the power generator 4, and thelike and obtaining the expansion/contraction amount of each member inthis temperature range by a calculation or an experiment.

The surface treatment on the inner peripheral surface 72 a may be, forexample, a surface modification treatment such as a carbonitridingtreatment or a coating treatment such as a blackening treatment or a DLCcoating. Moreover, it may be a heat treatment such as quenching ortempering.

Moreover, according to the space (clearance) S2 shown in FIG. 12 and thespaces (clearances) S1 and S2 shown in FIG. 4, even if the shafts expandor contract in the axial direction, they can be prevented frominterfering with the axially adjoining members. It is preferable thatthese spaces S1 and S2 be set to dimensions larger than the axialexpansion/contraction amounts of the shafts at the upper limit (maximumtemperature) of the assumed temperature change range.

Moreover, when the brake 44 that brakes the input shaft 41 is providedas shown in FIG. 2, it is preferable that the one-way clutch 7 (theclutch unit 20 incorporating this) be disposed between the speedincreaser 3 and the brake 44. This is because if the one-way clutch 7 isdisposed between the brake 44 and the power generator 4, it is difficultto swiftly stop the power generator 4 at times such as when an anomalyof the power generator 4 occurs since only the rotation on the side ofthe speed increaser 3 is decelerated even if the brake 44 is appliedduring rotation and the rotation on the side of the power generator 4 iscontinued by the one-way clutch 7 to cause idling.

The present invention is not limited to the above-described embodimentsand may be modified as appropriate when carried out.

For example, while a case where the clutch unit 20 is provided betweenthe output shaft 35 of the speed increaser 3 and the shaft joint 9 isdescribed in the above-described embodiment (see FIG. 2), as anotherembodiment, the clutch unit 20 may be provided between the shaft joint 9and the input shaft 41 of the power generator 4 as shown in FIG. 14.Even in this case, the shaft coupling portion 21 is coupled to the inputshaft 41 of the power generator 4 although the structure of the clutchunit 20 is the same. That is, it is necessary for the clutch unit 20only to have the shaft coupling portion 21 coupled to a shaft bodyformed of the input shaft 41 or the output shaft 35, the joint couplingportion 22 coupled to the shaft joint 9 and the one-way clutch 7provided between the shaft coupling portion 21 and the joint couplingportion 22.

Moreover, while a structure in which the one-way clutch 7 has the shaftcoupling portion 21 and the joint coupling portion 22 facing each otherin the radial direction is described in the above-described embodiments,although not shown, a structure in which the shaft coupling portion 21and the joint coupling portion 22 face each other in the axial directionmay be adopted. In this case, the one-way clutch 7 is of the thrusttype.

Moreover, the wind power generation device is not limited to ahorizontal axis type device shown in FIG. 1 but may be a vertical axistype device shown in FIG. 15.

The present application is based upon Japanese Patent Application(Patent Application No. 2013-178228) filed on Aug. 29, 2013 and JapanesePatent Application (Patent Application No. 2013-220888) filed on Oct.24, 2013, the contents of which are incorporated herein by reference.

DESCRIPTION OF REFERENCE SIGNS

-   -   1: Wind power generation device 2: Main shaft 3: Speed increaser        4: Power generator 4 a: Housing (fixed object) 7: One-way clutch        8: Rolling bearing 9: Shaft joint 14: Housing (fixed object) 20:        Clutch unit 21: Shaft coupling portion 21 b: Coupling shaft        portion 21 c: Insertion shaft portion 22: Joint coupling portion        22 d: Rotational flange portion 22 e: Rotational cylindrical        portion 35: Output shaft 35 d: Hole 35 e: End portion 41: Input        shaft 46: Male screw 47: Female screw 56: Support portion 57:        Ball 58: Cage 66: Support member 66 d: Fixed flange portion 66        e: Fixed cylindrical portion 68: Rolling bearing 68 d, 68 f:        Raceway 73: Roller (engagement element) 73: Sprag (engagement        element)

The invention claimed is:
 1. A wind power generation device comprising:a main shaft which rotates by wind power; a speed increaser whichincreases a speed of a rotation of the main shaft, and which outputs therotation from an output shaft; a power generator which comprises aninput shaft which rotates with the rotation of the output shaft as aninput, and which generates power by a rotation of a rotor which rotatesintegrally with a rotation of the input shaft; a shaft joint which isprovided between the output shaft and the input shaft, and which allowsa torque to be transmitted between the output shaft and the input shaft;and a joint structure interposed between the shaft joint and a shaftbody which is one of the output shaft and the input shaft, the jointstructure including: a clutch unit interposed between the shaft jointand a shaft body which is one of the output shaft and the input shaft,wherein the clutch unit comprises: a shaft coupling portion whichrotates integrally with the shaft body; a joint coupling portion whichrotates integrally with the shaft joint; and a one-way clutch providedbetween the shaft coupling portion and the joint coupling portion,wherein the one-way clutch makes a connection integrally rotatablybetween the shaft coupling portion and the joint coupling portion in astate in which a rotation speed of the output shaft is higher than arotation speed of the input shaft, and releases the connection betweenthe shaft coupling portion and the joint coupling portion in a state inwhich the rotation speed of the output shaft is lower than the rotationspeed of the input shaft, wherein the clutch unit further comprises: asupport member fixed to a fixed object of the wind power generationdevice; and a rolling bearing which is provided between the supportmember and the joint coupling portion and which supports the jointcoupling portion rotatably with respect to the support member, whereinthe joint coupling portion comprises: a rotational flange portioncoupled to the shaft joint; and a rotational cylindrical portion whichrotates integrally with the rotational flange portion and in which theone-way clutch is provided on an inner periphery side of the rotationalcylindrical portion, wherein the support member comprises: a fixedflange portion coupled to the fixed object; and a fixed cylindricalportion which is integral with the fixed flange portion, which isconcentric with the rotational cylindrical portion and which is situatedradially outside the rotational cylindrical portion, wherein the rollingbearing is provided between and contacting an inner peripheral surfaceof the fixed cylindrical portion and an outer peripheral surface of therotational cylindrical portion, and wherein the generator and the speedincreaser are on opposite sides of the one-way clutch in an axialdirection of the input shaft and the output shaft.
 2. The wind powergeneration device according to claim 1, wherein a raceway of a rollingelement of the rolling bearing is provided on the inner peripheralsurface of the fixed cylindrical portion, and the fixed cylindricalportion also serves as an outer ring of the rolling bearing.
 3. The windpower generation device according to claim 1, wherein a raceway of arolling element of the rolling bearing is provided on the outerperipheral surface of the rotational cylindrical portion, and therotational cylindrical portion also serves as an inner ring of therolling bearing.
 4. The wind power generation device according to claim1, wherein the fixed object is a housing of the speed increaser, andwherein the clutch unit is interposed between the shaft joint and theoutput shaft.
 5. The wind power generation device according to claim 2,wherein a raceway of the rolling element of the rolling bearing isprovided on the outer peripheral surface of the rotational cylindricalportion, and the rotational cylindrical portion also serves as an innerring of the rolling bearing.
 6. The wind power generation deviceaccording to claim 1, wherein the shaft coupling portion is formed of amember separate from the shaft body and coupled to the shaft body, andwherein the joint coupling portion is formed of a member separate fromthe shaft joint and coupled to the shaft joint.